Crimped-cap opener



April 3, 1928.

. F. L. DARLING CRIMPED CAP OPENER Filed July 16. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 3, 1928.

F. L. DARLING GRIMPED CAP OPENER Filed July 16. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. DARLING, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

CRIMPED-CAP OPENER.

Application filed July 16,

My invention is a crimp cap opener, being incorporated with the cap to facilitate removing same from bottles or the like.

An object of my invention is to construct an opener for crimp caps connected thereto and attached with the cap to a bottle or the like, to facilitate the removal of the cap from the bottle.

A more specific object of my invention is the formation of an opener which will fit between the crimps of the cap and the upper end of the bottle neck so that on pulling of the opener the crimps are opened, allowing the ready removal of the cap. I

Another specific object of my invention is to construct the opener so that it cannot come "in contact with the liquid in the bottle.

In forming my crimp cap opener I preferably use a. bent strip of wire having its free ends caught between the crimp of the cap and the upper end of a bottle neck, the endsbeing positioned above the cork or other packing which fits in the metallic bottle cap. The wire or strip may be loose if desired, or may be attached to the cap by grooves of the crimp being squeezed thereabout or by means of a' small amount of solder or a slightly brazed connection.

My invention will be more readily understood from. the following description and drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle neck with my crimp cap opener shown in connection with a crimp cap;

Fi 2 is a vertical section substantially on t e line 22 of Fig. 1 diametrically through a bottle, a crim ca and myopener, showing same in the c ose or sealed position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.2, showing the opener and cap in one of the stages of the opening procedure;

Fig. 1 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a further stage of the opening procedure;

Fig. is an inverted perspective view of a cap, with my opener attached thereto.

Figure 6' is a vertical section of a bottle and a cap with my opener, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 9 prior to distorting the crimps of the cap, this figure showing the opener and cap in the normal position in which the article is marketed.

Figure 7 is a similar section showing the action of the opener in the initial stage of removing a'cap.

Figure 8 is a section similar to Flg's. 6 and 1926. Serial No. 122,909.

7 showing the cap loosened from the bottle.

a bead 3 or the like adjacent the mouth 4 of the bottle. 7 A crimp cap designated generally by the numeral 5 is generally of the ordinary construction, having a top 6 substantially flat and with aflange 7 having crimps 8 therein. A disc of packing material 9 such as cork or other suitable composition, is fitted between the upper edge of the mouth of the-bottle andthe top of the cap, thus preventing the contents ofthe bottle coming in. contact with the metal. The crimps are bent down over the bead in the ordinary manner.

My opener designated'generally by the numeral 10 comprises a strip 11 of material which may be wire, a flat band or anything of suitable material and shape. This is shown as having a reverse bend 12, the free ends 13 of which are bent underneath the cork or other packing strip as indicated by the numeral 14 shown particularly in Fig. 5. The strip or wire fits in crimps 15 so that it does not hold the cap flange spaced from the bottle, and if desired a small amount of solder indicated by the numeral 16, or a slight braze may secure the wire or strip to the flange of the cap. This latter connection however, is hardly necessary as the crimping of the cap holds the opening strip firmly in position against the bottle and is incorporated in osition when the cap is seamed or place on the top of the bottle.

' 'In the manner of using my opener, the

strip is pulled out from the bottle, it preferably being shaped to fit neatly against the upper end of the bottle as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and in the'first stage of opening-will be pulled outwardly as shown in Flg. 3. This will act to bend the flange of the cap outwardly, especially if the wire or strip is made of fairly stiff material, the opener functioning as alever. In the further step shown in Fig. 4, it will be seen that the bent ends 14 extending over the packing 9 use same as a fulcrum of a lever and pry the cap upwardly as indicated in Fig. 4.

cap and the flange 7, as shown in Fig. 5.

The projecting part of the opener fits snug against the side of the bottle, as shown in a Fi 1. It willbe seen by this construction upwardly taken with Fig 5 that the wire of strip material forming the opener does not extend over the top of the bottle and hence does not cut into the packing 9 when the cap is crimped on the bottle but the ends '14 follow around the periphery of the pack-' ing on the outside of the portion forming the seal with thebottle.

When the lower end of the opener is given an initial pull to remove the cap, on account of the resilient material of the wire the crimps 15 in which the wire engages are pulled outwardly slightly and at the same timethe ends 14 of the wire which engage the bottle cap are slightly distorted from the normal position shown in Fig. 6, this distortion being indicated by the numeral 17 in Fig. 7. On further levering up on the opener strip, the side of the cap flange between the two portions of the wire is to a certain extent straightened, as indicated by the numeral 18' in Fig. 9, this pulling the crimps between the two wires away from the bottle an-dalso drawing the crimps slightly outside of the wire, as indicated by the numeral 19, away from the head 3 of the bottle. When the flange of the cap at one side is clear of the-bead, the .ends 14, which have been compressed, dueto their spring action return to their normal position and thrust on the top part of the cap, as indicated by the numeral 20 .in .Fig. 8. This gives a quick snap to the cap and aids its removal.

' In Fig. 10 is illustrated a standard bottle cap giving the dimensions and showing the amount of leverage which'my opener obtains. The cap, as illustrated, is 1 inches in diameter and the distance from the points 21, where thesides 10 of, the opener engage the cap, and the line 22 of the ends of t e bent portions 14 is inches; Thus on account ofthe circular curvature of the bot-.

tle cap and the portions 10" of theopenerenga ging at a considerable distance apart around the circumference the fulcrum' is substantially directly on the upper edge of .the bottle or on the top of the peeling, as

illustrated in Fig. 4. The ends 14 exert a' leverage on the cap from the fulcrum points 21 to their adjacent ends and hence mate rially aid in the ease with which a'capmay be removed. 7 If the wire is merely held. in the grooves of the crimps it will pressagainst the top of the bottlefwhen theflfree end is pulled out and thusraise the flange of thecap. 'In

of comparatively soft metal whic i in the opening operation the wire will bend upwardly and expand the flange of the crimped ca sufficiently to allow air to enter below t e packing and to allow easy removal of the cap.

An important feature of my invention is that the opener acts as a lever with the ful-, crum end of the lever bearing on the top of the bottle or more correctly on the packing or. cork which fits over the top. This ives a long leverage on the lower edge 0 the crimped flange and bends same outwardly. Hence my opener forms a-satisfactory device with bottle caps which are-made of stifi resilient metal in order to properly seal bottles which may generate gas or have the contents under pressure.

In my preferred construction I do not use any solder, the wire forming the opener being crimped by the crimps of the ca and the bent ends are fitted between the cor or packing and the metal of the cap, as shown in Fig. 5. i

In the type of bottle caps illustrated, the hermetic seal is usually between the inner part of the neck of the bottle at the top and the cork or'other packing, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Hence the bent ends illustrated as at 14 do not pass across the top of the bottle neck and hence in sealing the bottle there is no danger of the packing being cut and moreover as the cap is tightly sealed on the bottle there is no danger of leakage adjacent the wire of the opener. My opener is also preferably made of stiff wire so that when being pulled upwardly in the position shown in Fig. 4 the wire levers on the upper periphery of the cork or packing, which pressure is transmitted to the rim of the bottle at the neck and the other part of the lever wire spreads the 'crimpsf on one side and levers the cap pa the top of the bottle. It is to be noted that in my construction the twobranches of the opener are spread a considerable distance a art, sufiicient so that when the lever is pulle upwardly a suflicient number of the crimps are bent out to allow the complete disengagementof the cap and the bottle. My invention distinguishes from bottle'o ifners made are pulled upwardly and by main force the cap is pulled 01f without first levering part of the or otherwise secured to the cap and .also from devices in which the wire of the opener extends across the neck ofthe bottle between the cap and the packing and those in which a wire or the like is secured in a groove in the bottle neck.

Although my invention is of a simple character it will nevertheless be apparent that the opener may be considerably changed in shape and may be madeof a single strip of metal, a plurality of fiat strips, or. a simple wire as shown, or of other suitable design. It is also obvious that it maybe con nected to the cap in any suitable manner or merely held by the crimping of the cap. Such various changes in my invention will be within the spirit of my invention as set forth in the description, drawings and claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle, a cap havinga crimped flange, an opener formed of strip material having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip engaging underneath the crimp of the .cap at a considerable distance apart circumferent-ially of the bottle neck and thecrimp to bend the flange outwardly a considerable distance circumferentially.

2. A crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle, a cap having a depending flange with crimps, an opener formed of strip material having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip being caught underneath the flange a considerable distance apart circumferentially of the flange and the bottle neck, the ends of the strip being detached from the cap and positioned to lever against the extreme upper end of the bottle in pulling the reverse bend part upwardly to bend the flange outwardly a considerable distance circumferentially.

3. A crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle, a cap having a flange with a crimp, an opener having a reverse bend, the two sides of the opener being caught between the flange and the bottle neck, the free ends of the strip being bent to fit the angle formed by the flange and the top portion of the cap.

4. A crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle, a ca having a top portion and a depending ange w1th crimps, a packing fitted against the top, an opener formed of stri material having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip being caught between the flange and the bottle, the free ends being bent to fit the angle formed by the top and the flange portion of the cap and being positioned between the packing and the top.

5. A crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle, a cap having a top with a depending flange having criinps, an open er formed of strip material having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip being caught between the" flange and the bottle neck a considerable distance apart circum ferentially, the free ends of the strip being bent towards each other, and fitting the angle formed by the top and the flange.

6. A crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle, a cap having a top and a depending flange with criinps, a packing fitting against the top, an opener formed of strip material having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip being caught between the flange and the bottle neck a considerable distance apartcirculnferentially of the flange, the free ends of the strip being bent towards each other and fitting the angle between the top and the flange, and between the packing and the top.

7. In the art described the combination of a bottle cap having a top and a flange with crimps, a packing fitted against the top, an opener formed of strip material having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip fitting against the flange and the free ends being detached from the cap and engaged by the packing partly eircumferentially at the angle between the top and the flange.

8. In the art described the combination of a bottle cap having a top'and a flange with packing fitted against the top, an opener formed of strip material having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip fitting inside the flange and spaced .a considerable distance apart circumferentially of the flange, the free ends of the strip being loose from the cap and fitting partly circumferentially between the packing and the top at'the angle of the top and the flange.

9. In the art described the combination of a bottle cap having a top and a flange with crimps, a packing fitted against the top, an opener formed of strip material. having a reverse bend, the two sides of the strip fitting inside the flange a considerable distance apart circumferentially of the flange, the free ends of the strip being bent towards each other and fitting the angle formed by the top and the flange and between the packing and the top.

10. A crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle, a cap having a top and a crimped flange with packing against the top, an opener formed of stifl wire having a bend, the two sides of the wire being caught between the flange and the bottle a considerable distance apart circumferentially, the free ends of the strip being loose from the cap and positioned to lever downwardly on the outer periphery of the packing thereby forcing same against the extreme top of the bottle and bending a portion of the flange outwardly on pulling upwardly on the reverse bent portion of the wire, such wire being sufficiently stifl to bend a part of the flange outwardly circumferentially for a considerable distance without substantially bending the wire.

11. A \crimp cap opener comprising in combination a bottle with a bead the upper portion of the neck, a cap having a top with a depending flange with crimps, an

opener formed of strip material having a reverse bend,'the two sides of the strip being caught between the flange and the bottle neck a considerable distance apart circumferentially, the free ends of the strip being bent towards each other and fitting the angle formedby the top and the flange, the opener functioning as a lever and having a fulcrum against the top of thebottle, and being adapted to distort a number of the crinips between the two sides of the strip to free said crimps from the bead on the bottle, the free ends of the strip whichare bent towards each other forming a resilient .lever thrusting against the top of the cap .adjacent the flange.

12. A bottle opener comprising in combination a bottle having a smooth ungrooved neck, a cap having a top with a crimped flange, a packing sheet. fitted between the top of the cap and the top of the bottle neck, an opener formed of a stiii wire strip having a bend, the two sides of the strip fitting underneath the flange against the smooth bottle neck, the free ends of the strip being detached from the cap and'positioned between the top of the cap and the packing sheet,

and said free ends being positioned to lever downwardly on the edge of the packing sheet, pressing said edge against the top of the neck when the bent end of the strip is pulled upwardly, said wire being sufficiently stifito bend the crimps of the flange outwardly without substantially bending the WIIG.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK L. DARLING. 4 

